US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump was secretly moved from one aircraft to another, concealed in a catering container, upon his departure from Turkey last month due to Iranian threats against him, it has been reported.

Numerous US news outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, have detailed a “clandestine” operation in which the president boarded one plane in public view, was whisked off this aircraft in the container, and boarded another.

The security move came as his officials deemed Iranian threats credible, the outlets reported.

On 8 July, Trump was in Turkey attending the Nato summit when he was due to travel to the UK. He had travelled to Turkey on a luxury Air Force One jet donated to him by Qatar alongside the White House press corps.

Hours before he was due to head to the UK, he told journalists he would not be travelling on that jet but on one of the older versions of Air Force One. Questioned about this decision at the time, he claimed it was for “old time’s sake”.

Media watched and filmed Trump board this plane before they boarded themselves. 

But once he had boarded from the left-side door in front of news organisations, he promptly entered a catering container and exited from the right-side door in this, the New York Times said. He was brought to a third plane and flew to the UK on this.

My favorite part: This Turkish catering truck nonchalantly moving from Air Force One to the other plane pic.twitter.com/KYVm4FsG4W

— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) August 11, 2026

Reporters were not aware that the president was not on the plane with them. It was reported at the time that the change of plans from the Qatari jet to the older plane Trump had publicly boarded was due to security concerns, as the luxury jet does not have the same defence capabilities as older Air Force One planes.

After the planes’ arrival in Britain, Trump was once again secretly moved to the older plane on which the media travelled. He disembarked this plane and crossed over to the Qatari jet, which he flew back to Washington on alongside the press corps.

A catering truck is visible parked on the opposite side of Air Force One on the tarmac before US. President Donald Trump departed following the NATO summit at Ankara International Airport in Ankara, Turkey. AP Photo / Alex Brandon AP Photo / Alex Brandon / Alex Brandon

 CBS reported that the switching of planes was due to a credible threat detected by US officials of an Iranian plot to target the plane the US president was travelling on with a missile as he left the Turkish capital of Ankara.

Trump was asked by a journalist if he was aware of any threats against Air Force One by Iran on the flight to Washington, to which he replied: “Well, I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list, before you. But if I go, you go, right? So perhaps some of you want to change professions.”

The White House has maintained that Trump flew on the older Air Force One plane with the media.